


Figments that were and fragments that will be

by GoneRampant



Category: RWBY
Genre: Drabble, Drabble Collection, Emerald can never catch a break, F/F, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Not complaining just finally dawned on me, Snippets, This put into perspective how much I write Emerald and Amber, that's just the rule
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 23:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13258656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoneRampant/pseuds/GoneRampant
Summary: A very pretentious title, but tldr: Random drabbles and snippets, including my entries for R/RWBY's Writing Prompt Wednesday so I don't lose them.





	1. Fallen Maidens: Mind Game

**Mind Game**

* * *

 

"What? Isn't this what you wanted?"  
  
Cinder was raised with a few constants; the sun rose and set, the sky was blue, and that mirrors weren't meant to  _talk_  to people. And yet her mirror was talking to her- more accurately, her reflection. Unfortunately, it wasn't Emerald's Semblance or that Neopolitan girl playing a trick on her; this was a creation of her own mind.  
  
Or, to elaborate, her own soul, and the half she was holding as extra baggage. For Cinder didn't have a mirror in this room she'd taken in Vale. She'd specifically had it removed. So the mirror being here meant this was her...  _passenger_  exerting her will.  
  
The reflection was nearly perfect in its recreation of Cinder; the same way her eyes scanned once, quickly, in their analysis. The slight upwards curl of the lips and way Cinder framed her hair to cover her eye. Barring one facet- that the reflection's eyes were a soft, shimmering shade of brown compared to Cinder's own amber eyes- it was perfect. But Cinder had an eye for perfection and this failed to meet her lofty standards.  
  
What also gave it away was the voice- it wasn't her own voice that reverberated and dragged on her mind like piano wire being tightened. It was a voice she'd barely heard whisper two words and several cries of pain. And yet Amber's voice was its own distinct creature, a distinct contralto that could alternate between velvet-smooth and rough like a sailor.  
  
"You're the woman in the high castle now, aren't you? You got the power you wanted. But you're still not feared. And you're still just a blindly obedient lapdog." The lips curled in the reflection. "All that effort. And you're still Salem's  _bitch."_  
  
Amber's influence had been exerting itself more as Cinder closed in on Vale. At first Cinder had assumed it to be a process that would fade once the fragments of soul she had taken were absorbed into her psyche. A few bad dreams were a small price to pay for godhood. But then they had started to bleed into reality. Somehow, Amber was refusing to be a good little Maiden and  _die_  already, so the powers were turbulent. And they were only getting more erratic as Cinder had closed into Vale.  
  
In a way it was a blessing- Amber's soul exerting influence meant that she had to be close by, so Cinder would be able to accomplish the two most important goals left in her plan with ease. But until she was able to find Amber and put an arrow in her heart, she'd have to contend with a few bad dreams and mild hallucinations. Hopefully Amber would go away sooner rather than later; Cinder would never admit to it, but Amber's voice coming out of Cinder's body disturbed her somewhat.  
  
"That has to rankle, right? You're carrying half the powers of a near-literal goddess but lost the other half to pure bad luck. You know a few Maidens actually did go a little crazy with power and set themselves up as gods, so that's not as much hyperbole as you would think." The reflection seemed to pause. "Come to think of it, bad luck ruined your ambush before it had even started. If your mint-haired friend hadn't knocked some dust aside, I'd have been caught flatfooted."  
  
The irony that after Cinder expressly said to not have a "foot out of place," only for Emerald to kick some dust aside and alert Amber had not been lost on anyone. Emerald had been meek for some time after the event while Mercury rubbed it in for several weeks. And of course 'Amber' had been able to take a look into some of Cinder's memories. Sometimes Cinder had entire dreams where she was forced to watch Amber poking around in painful corners of her mind. It had not been a pleasant string of nights, and that discomfort and rage that had boiled within Cinder only seemed to fuel this reflection of herself in her spiteful actions.  
  
A low growl escaped Cinders throat between the reflection's snide remark and the recollection. A growl that only made the cat-like smirk on her doppelganger's face grow.  
  
"Finally, a response. Been waiting a few weeks for you to slip up. You know the first sign of madness is when you start talking to yourself."  
  
A fist hit the wall. Cinder was subconsciously aware of her Aura flaring as her first hit bare concrete, of the puff of dust that flew. Consciously, she saw the mirror crack, her face splintering and fragmenting as a crackling sound filled her ears, glass crunching underfoot. "You," Cinder ground out, "are  _dead._  You are rotting away somewhere, void of half your soul that I tore out of you while you screamed and begged for mercy. If you are still alive, then I will enjoy snuffing out the pathetic embers of life within you, and I hope you're still conscious so you can see me kill you."  
  
The reflection's eyebrow rose slowly after Cinder finished speaking. "Touched a nerve, did I? You really are angry that you don't have all the power yet. Well good luck. You'll never get the rest of it, and you'll die alone, desperately trying to retain whatever figments of power you do succeed in stealing. I just hope I get to see it happen."  
  
The mirror faded away, fragmented reflections and underfoot glass being replaced by Cinder's fist buried into a wall and motes of dust spiraling around her feet.  
  
Cinder was startled out of her thoughts by a rapping at the door. "Cinder?" It was Emerald. "I heard you shouting, are you fine in there?"  
  
Cinder looked again. No mirror this time. She'd locked Amber away before, and she could do it now again. "I'm fine," she coolly replied. "I'll be with you in a moment."  
  
She had a lot of work to do, and it would not do for a Maiden to be scared of her own reflection.

* * *

 

**Inspired by Miracle of Sound's "Replica."**


	2. Sephora: Hair Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written on a whim for my good friend Qlexy, who loves the ship.

Blake slowly drifted into consciousness, eyes flickering as she took in the bedroom. The colors were muted thanks to the blinds being drawn and the traffic had yet to start up outside, leaving her alone in her little corner of the world with nothing to disturb her. Barring one odd little sound that repeated and mixed with a flowing sensation along her hair.

“Roman,“ she said, voice husky, "what are you doing?" 

"Don’t look,” he said quickly. “Just give me five minutes." 

 She shrugged with the apathy only the freshly woken could muster, passing the next few minutes by checking her messages until a set of knuckles rapping her on her shoulder got her attention. 

"Eyes up Kitty.” Rolling her eyes at the nickname, Blake got up in the bed, frowning at the sight that met her eyes as she looked at the mirror. 

“You braided my hair?” Her tone was flat and soft at the same time, surprising even herself. 

“You like it?” Roman popped his head into her shoulder, smirking at her through the mirror. 

She fucking loved it. 

“Eh, it’s alright,  _I guess._ ”

She could never let Roman know she loved it. 

But he probably got the message when she tilted her head and kissed him. 

* * *

**At the time I'm publishing this, Qlexy is actually quite ill at the moment. So here's to you Qley, hope you get better soon.**


	3. Sephora: Bedtime Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years after everything has stopped being shit, Blake has an odd revelation and realization in bed one night. Sephora, written for a friend.

_ “I will make my mission… to destroy  _ everything _ you love.”  _

_ “Blake!” _

_ “... Starting with her.” The familiar lance of pain in her chest, the scream that tore out of her throat as her Aura broke. Yang’s roar of defiance before Adam’s sword swung through the air again and Yang’s body hit the ground. Ember Celica scattered into fragments as her arm fell after her- _

Blake woke up. Her nightmares were never dramatic- no flinging oneself upright while screaming. Her eyes just opened, her breathing started heavy but mellowed out after a few seconds. She sighed, trying to fumble for the water on her nightstand. She grasped it, but at a bad angle, and the class slipped out of her grasp. It didn’t shatter at least, but a large fracture ran up the glass.

Blake cursed under her breath as Roman jerked awake immediately; a criminal’s senses were impossible to dull. “Hey,” he rasped in the dark (for him, night vision meant Blake got to watch the water flooding out of the glass). “What’re you doing up so late?” 

Blake turned, curling against Roman and burying her face into his shirt. Roman’s hands ran through Blake’s hair- she found it oddly soothing and he knew when to do it by now. “Just…” she trailed off. 

“Adam?” 

“Yeah. I don’t know why I still keep going back to that night, especially since we killed him.”

“You did shoot him,” Roman mused with a fake chipper tone. “Like, a billion times.” 

Blake’s head lifted to narrow her eyes at Roman. “I didn’t shoot him 'like a billion times,'” she said defensively. “I just shot him ten times. There’s a big difference.” 

“Your efforts to justify your overkill habits never cease to amaze me.” Blake rolled her eyes, ducking her head so he didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing the smile he had coaxed out of her. 

“To answer your question though, it was a bad night for everyone except for the White Fang and that bitch in the red dress. Your partner- someone who you are pretty damn close to- got hurt on your watch. And then there’s the whole ‘I need to leave you so you don’t get hurt thing,’ which… backfired. Considerably.” 

“I have had this conversation with six different people Roman. When even Mercury Black has the moral high ground on me, I have accepted that it’s a problem.” It came out harsher than she expected. “Sorry.” 

“Nothing to be sorry for. Look, Beacon ended shittily for everyone. I got eaten.  _ Alive. _ It kinda sucked.” Roman shifted a little. “But Yang forgives you. Your whole team was happy to see you again, you went on to save the world, yadda yadda yadda. Meanwhile I had to do unspeakable things to survive.” 

Blake rolled her eyes. Roman had just faked his death after Beacon fell and gone to live in Vacuo with Neo and let the whole Salem conflict boiled over. She only found him by happenstance when Roman robbed a hat shop Blake was in for old time’s sake. From there, they’d gotten to talking, and a year or two later they’d moved in together. After that Roman popped the question.

Blake had said no- she wasn’t ready to tie down with someone, even if she clicked well with Roman over the last five or so years. And she’d said no the next five times. She had to give Roman credit, he was never annoying about it. (And she was counting that one time he said ‘Marry me’ in amazement after she jumped off a burning building to save him)

As Roman wrapped up the even-by-his-standards half-assed speech about how Blake was better than she thought she was (Another habit of Roman that she appreciated), he nudged Blake off him. 

Her eyes narrowed further. “I was comfy.” It came out through grounded teeth. 

“You’ll live, I’ll be right back. Get comfy.” He padded out of the bedroom, grabbing the fractured glass as he went. Blake’s ears perked up as she heard some machines firing up. She obliged Roman though, and puffed some pillows to get comfortable. She probably wasn’t gonna get back to sleep anyway. 

Besides, four hours sleep for either of them was pretty good. 

Roman eventually came back, holding Blake’s favorite chipped mug. The mug was wafting with steam (Roman’s bit lip suggesting that he had either forgotten that things put in a microwave are hot or he didn’t care enough to get a glove) that trickled up Blake’s nose and wafted around her as he passed the cocoa cup to her. 

“You didn’t need to…” she started.

“I wanted to though.” 

Blake drank in silence, barring an appreciative murmur or two that escaped her throat. It was good. Quite good. He always knew just how much hot chocolate to add to give it extra flavour. 

Roman got back into bed, making Blake shiver with his cold feet from the floor. His temperature soon rose and Blake got comfortable against his chest again. 

“You feeling better?” 

“Yeah,” she murmured. Roman kissed the top of her head. “Thanks.” 

“Any time Kitty.” 

Blake paused for a moment. She was hesitant to say she’d loved before. Her parents, Sun (as a friend) and RWBY were obvious exceptions. But she’d been living with Roman for a few years now. She hadn’t run away screaming yet, and they tolerated each other’s quirks. 

Fuck, Blake realized, I’m in love with Roman.

“Roman.” 

He stirred. “Yeah?” 

“Ask me to marry you.” 

Roman tensed. She could hear his choked back surprise and he didn’t reply for a minute. "But, I'm not prepared -"    
  
"I'm pretty sure you're better prepared than when you asked me at half past four on the morning after Emerald and Weiss's engagement party,” Blake replied drily. “You thought you could trick me because I was drunk."   
  
"That was different, Kitty I don't even have the ring -"    
  
"You had a r-” she paused. “Nevermind that. Forget about it for a second and ask me."    
  
"But -"    
  
"Before I change my mind, Roman. Please."    
  
Blake got up, looking Roman dead in the eyes. He looked helplessly lost, like a puppy missing its favourite toy and she would've relished in it were it not for her mind trying to scream some sense into her. What was she doing? This was absolutely batshit insane.    
  
"Will you marry me pretty please?" He looked away for a second, fringe falling over both of his eyes.   
  
She rolled his eyes at him, but then she exhaled, staring anywhere but at him before she said the word he had been waiting for ever since that night 5 years ago: "Yes."   
  
Roman paused again, seeming to take her in like he was looking at her for the first time. "Bullshit." He finally said bluntly.   
  
Blake blinked in surprise. "What?"    
  
"There is no way you just said that. I call bullshit. I can’t believe… all it took was a fucking hot chocolate? All this time?!" Roman’s face fell into his hands and a groan escaped him.

Blake couldn’t help it. She chuckled, pressing her face into his collarbone as Roman continued to splurt out half-finished sentences. “You know most people are happy when they hear the sigfig say yes.” 

“Most people aren’t me!” He shrieked. 

Blake’s chuckles became full on snickers, only to get cut off as Roman cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. She melted into it, throwing her arms behind his head. 

“Alright, alright,” she panted (she was out of breath?). “I’m gonna marry you. I’m…. gonna marry you.” 

“Yep.” A comfortable silence fell between the two.

“.. wanna call everyone now and fill them in so they wake up and no one gets a good night’s sleep?” 

Blake cackled. “Oh, you are evil.” She reached for her scroll.

Roman shrugged. “Hey, you’re marrying me. So that makes you just as evil.”

She pecked him on the lips. “But I pull it off better because I’m better looking.” 

“Ow. For that I get to call Red.” 

She tossed him the scroll. “Knock yourself out.” 


	4. Snowflake in the Rough: Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In an AU where Emerald killed Cinder at the Branwen Camp and helped RWBY kill Salem as the new Fall Maiden, she finds herself in Atlas having a conversation with Weiss. One of the Writing Prompt Wednesday challenges.

Emerald had expected a few different punishments for her involvement in the Fall of Beacon, tempered as it was by her and Mercury's explosive defections to the "Good Guys" during that whole fiasco at the Branwen Camp. She'd expected jail cells, Aura-locking collars or in the worst case scenario, a firing squad.

Gods only knew they probably didn't want the new Fall Maiden to be running free, even if Emerald thought the elemental powers of nature were awful for a thief. The whole 'subtle' thing went right out the window when the lightning came out.

But instead, she was in Atlas; an SDC board room to be exact. Emerald hadn't been told where Mercury would be going, her question only being replied to a few minutes later when the guard at her door asked her if she wanted something a bit heavier- Atlas's climate could be jarring for first-time visitors. She'd said yes, and had spent the next few minutes frowning at the Schnee logo now emblazoned across her back.

She wasn't left waiting long- she'd arrived earlier than expected so the Schnee that opened the door was in fact on time from her perspective. "Sorry if I kept you waiting," Weiss said formally as she entered. She walked around the table, sitting a few feet from Emerald.

Emerald shrugged casually. "You're the one who brought me here, so not like I had a choice in the matter."

Weiss nodded at that. "It still must be preferable to any number of the suggested situations you could have wound up in. I know quite a few people who want your head."

"And this is supposed to reassure me how?"

"It's not, I simply want you to understand the situation outside before I tell you why you're here."

"And I'm here because...?"

Weiss looked away for a moment. "I accessed your files. The real ones, that included your full testimony. So I know about your childhood."

The room rose in temperature by a few degrees as Emerald's eyes narrowed into red slits.

"Emerald, I know what you've gone through, to get to where you are now. I know what it's like to be a wounded soul, so desperate for affection from indifferent and abusive figures that you'd do anything for their approval or love. I know what it is to isolate yourself so you don't think about everything you did in their name. I suppose you could say that you and I have shared similar experiences when it comes to those with power over us being monsters."

Emerald's first instinct was sheer rage. That this snooty brat born with a silver spoon in her mouth had the audacity to compare their struggles got her blood boiling. Fall's power wanted to unleash itself, show her real pain and hardship, to take that power and  _use it-_

Which was Cinder talking. The last Fall Maiden still weighed heavily on Emerald, haunting her memories and her mind. Even now Emerald knew from the shimmer painting the table that her eyes had lit up with the Maiden's light. Emerald's narrowed eyes shut and she breathed, pushing back Cinder's instinctual pushes. "Sorry," she ground out. "Cinder's a shit room-mate."

"I'm sorry for provoking you."

"Just..." Emerald exhaled, her eyes fading back to normal. "What do you want, Schnee?"

"I want to offer you a job."

Emerald blinked in surprise. "A job?"

"As far as the world knows, you and Mercury are locked away in secure cells. Several people, myself and my sister included, consider that a waste of your talents."

"So what, I get to stay outside of a cell as long as Merc and I do wetwork for you?" A dark eyebrow rose mockingly. "Sounds great, who gets to die first?"

"Not wetwork, and not with Mercury. With Salem defeated, there's still large hordes of Grimm in the Grimmlands that need to be wiped out, including destroying the summoning pits Salem used. Alongside that, the Grimmlands are ripe with resources."

"So part altruism, part search and destroy, part landgrab. It all makes sense now."

"Not to sound cliche Emerald, but I am the best chance you've got. If you and Mercury agree, it can cut years off the sentences you would have been given. You'll be able to walk away freely afterwards, and we can arrange a new identity for you. Anywhere you want in the Kingdoms. In fact..." Weiss tapped a button on her scroll and the door opened. "You can leave right now. You're not a prisoner here Emerald. If you don't like my offer, the door's open for you to leave. No drawbacks, no one hunting you. I only ask that you listen."

Emerald sighed. Her eyes flicked between Weiss and the door, sizing her options up. Leaning back in the chair and crossing her arms, Emerald stared at Weiss with a level expression.

"Fine, Schnee. What's the job?"


	5. Magpie: Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a tip from Roman, Emerald heads to a bar to catch up with her deadbeat SOB of a father. In the process, he becomes the world's largest hypocrite.

Bars weren't normally Emerald's scene. She hated the stench of alcohol, and pickings were slim the later into the night you were. She refused to drink since alcohol crippled her Semblance, but here she was regardless, nursing a drink. Roman had a twisted idea of a Christmas present; an envelope left on her bed while she was out that contained a few clippings and tests of her mother, Lapis Sustrai.

Emerald hadn't thought about her mother in years, ever since Lapis had used her will to ensure Emerald got sent to an orphanage when she died. She didn't know what happened to her father, assuming it was just some one night stand and he'd gone and left the next day.

From the pictures of Lapis Emerald had been able to get over the years, the two looked quite similar; same shade of green hair, same slight smirk and light in their eyes. There was only two major differences between Lapis and Emerald were their chins (Emerald had a more pointed chin) and their eyes. Lapis had eyes that were blue like the ocean, while Emerald had dull red orbs. Those were all her father had seen fit to give her, and for years that was all Emerald knew about her father- pointed chin and red eyes.

And then Roman had to be his usual damn self, dropping a hint that Emerald's father was alive. It had eaten at her despite her efforts to bury it and let the past die. Finally, she'd caved in and asked Roman about it. The long and the short of it was that Cinder had asked Roman to falsify some medical records for Emerald in advance of the Beacon infiltration, so Roman had been able to sneak a look at Emerald's file. Adding in his own networks and contacts, he was quite sure he'd found out who Emerald's father was. He had been far too happy to spill the beans on the name of the deadbeat in question.

And thus, Emerald was in some dive called the Crow Bar at the promenade. Server was nice enough and the view was nice, but her disdain for alcohol meant she was unlikely to be a repeat customer. Unlike the guy down the bar from her with the tattered red cape.

"Roman you fucking asshole." Emerald had growled into her drink as Qrow Branwen had walked into the bar. Part of her wanted to just go, she'd seen Branwen and his eyes. As far as a part of Emerald cared, the mystery was solved and it was time to go. But... she had to ask. Finishing her non-alcoholic drink, Emerald stepped over to Branwen's spot, coughing pointedly. "Qrow Branwen?"

His head turned, two pairs of red eyes that were nearly the exact same shade of crimson meeting. His eyebrow rose expectantly. "Ya know, I don't think they allow kids in here." Qrow's eyes darted back to the barman, who shrugged apathetically.

Emerald felt her eye twitch at the slight. "I'm old enough," she ground out. "My name is Emerald Sustrai."

Qrow looked back at her. "Do I know you?"

"You knew my mother. Lapis Sustrai."

Qrow's face darkened, memories seeming to overtake him for a moment. "Lapis... yeah, I remember that name. Why?"

"You would have met her about twenty years ago. Let me guess, you were on a contract, passing through Vacuo and met some nice enough looking waitress to spend the night with?" A passion began to broil within Emerald- no, it had always been there. It had simply never had an outlet before now, and it was engulfing Emerald in the flames of anger.

Realization began to dawn in Qrow's eyes. "Wait-"

"So you fucked her and left without a second thought, didn't even leave a scroll number for her to use, and then when she had a kid and died, that kid had to go to hell on Remnant because no one else was there for her, since you seemed to have been too busy getting drunk and hitting on every other waitress in the Kingdoms!" Her voice was getting louder, attracting more attention but Emerald just  _didn't care._

"I..." Qrow looked down at his drink. "I'm sorry. If I'd known-"

"But you didn't." A deep shuddering breath escaped Emerald. This was the unknown target of her ire for so long. The man who had accidentally ruined her life was... just some drunk in a bar. She didn't feel pity for him, looking at him. She didn't feel anything at all.

"Yeah. But I didn't." Qrow shook his head. "Man, Raven would have a field day if she met you. For what it's worth kid, I am sorry. If there's anything I can do..." he chuckled, low and bitter. "You really wanna hear that shit from me? The whole 'I can be there for you now' crap? Not like it'll change anything."

Emerald reached for Qrow's drink, downing it in one go. The liquid burned all the way. "Yeah, no. I don't wanna hear that crap from you. I dunno what I expected, but... I do wanna say this."

Emerald tapped into her Semblance, letting Qrow see her put the glass down and shrug on her coat. He nodded in resignation as he saw her making to leave.

The look of surprise on his face when Emerald instead smashed the glass into the side of Qrow's skull. The music was drowned out by the sound of shattering glass for a moment as Qrow fell, a cut blossoming on his temple.

Emerald tossed some lien that she swiped earlier in the day onto the bar for the glass, making eye contact with Qrow. "Go to hell," she said bluntly, walking out without a second glance.


	6. Snowflake in the Rough: Ghost in the Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald helped RNJR when they needed it during the battle at Haven, but not all her scars were physical. And they haven't entirely healed.

She kept on having this dream, inside the static. Emerald knew what her Semblance felt like- like wires being dragged along the target's brain. She'd practiced heavily on herself as a child. So that omnipresent rattle on the back of her mind made her uneasy.

She didn't  _want_  to use her Semblance now. She had experimented in the past, and her results had shown that without the limiters her conscious mind placed, the erratic ever-changing landscape of her dreams was a  _very bad_  place to use her Semblance. Which left her with one stark realization, that this wasn't her intent.

"Emerald."

Emerald whirled around, sand crunching underfoot as the land around her became a desert with a dark sky overhead. Barring some dunes in the distance, it was entirely flat, devoid of any landmarks. Barring the one in front of her. Back in that first dress, the one she had been wearing when they met in a back alley after Emerald had run from a jewelers.

"Cinder?" She looked... healthy. Devoid of the scars and masks that Cinder had been forced to wear after Ruby's silver eyes had ravaged her beauty. Wearing a smile that bore no malice or ill intent, Cinder looked positively radiant in the desert.

Of course, Emerald was aware that what love she had borne for Cinder was one-sided, if Cinder had ever even acknowledged it. Cinder had used and abused Emerald, molded her into a weapon to help bring Beacon down. It had taken time, and she was still healing from the physical and emotional scars, but she was getting better.

And yet when Cinder smiled at her, Emerald could almost feel all that progress to realize there was no hope for her crumble and be ignored. She choked back a sob as she took Cinder in.

"There there," Cinder cooed, arms outstretched in a hug that eagerly fell into, sobs wracking her body. "It's going to be alright Emerald. I just need one thing from you Emerald."

"Anything," she breathed. She looked up, jumping a little as Cinder had become... how she had been when she died. The glass mask, the X-shaped scar, the limp arm. The love in her eye was gone, now just replaced with cold malice and pragmatism.

"A pound of flesh, Emerald. That's all I needed from you."

Emerald tried to pull back but was too slow, eyes widening as Cinder's arm plunged a knife into her heart and began to  _saw-_

Her eyes snapped open, the desert replaced with robust lodgings. Her breath came out shaky, heart racing under her hand as she felt at her heart. Still there, not being torn into. It was just a dream.

Slowly, her breath evened out. She needed water; she forgot how humid Vacuo could get. Emerald quietly padded out of the bedroom after grabbing an empty glass from her bedside table, crossing the hallway to the bathroom opposite without anyone the wiser. The tap dripped out water slowly, so Emerald took the time to look at herself in the mirror, at the bags underneath her bloodshot eyes.

"Just a dream," she muttered, resting her head against the mirror. "It was just a stupid dream."

"Emerald?"

Emerald's eyes snapped open, her red eyes meeting the pale blue that belonged to Weiss. Emerald found it hard to believe that out of all the members of RWBY and JN_R that she'd been on the road with since Mistral, Weiss was the one she had grown closest to. Weiss had been the one who stood up first to defend Emerald after she turned herself in, the first to welcome her into their posse. And Emerald had confided in her; she only spoke to Weiss about her past, when she was with Cinder and Mercury and even before then, a vagrant street rat on the streets of Mistral. It confused the thief to no end, but Weiss was a rock for her those first few days out of Mistral, as the two slowly recovered from their scars.

"Hey," Emerald rasped. "Can't sleep?"

Weiss shook her head softly. "No. Just..." she gestured to her abdomen, where a gauze patch still rested on both sides. "The pain flared up so I went to get something to help me sleep. Yourself?"

"Just not tired," Emerald lied, "came for water."

Weiss tensed, lips pressing together. She was silent for a moment.

"Not a great lie, was it?" Emerald muttered, resting her head against the mirror again.

"You've told better." Weiss came forward, one of her hands wrapping around the one Emerald was holding onto the sink with. "What's troubling you?"

"Shitty nightmare, nothing to worry about." Emerald managed to make eye contact for that lie at least.

"Cinder?"

Emerald opened her mouth, paused. "Yeah," she whispered. "Cinder."

"She's dead Emerald. She can't hurt you again."

Emerald shook her head slightly, smirking despite herself. "Yeah, physically." She tapped the side of her head. "Problem is up here, my Semblance is doing all the work for her."

Weiss's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean my own damn Semblance is trying to drive me crazy. I'm lucky to get a single nights worth of sleep anymore without  _her_  showing up in my head and cutting me open." A bitter laugh crawled out of Emerald's throat. "That's who you have on your team. A lovestruck fool who took her beatings with a smile and when finally freed, has a subconscious convinced she did the wrong thing in stopping a mass-murderer." She choked again. "Mercury was right. I should've done the world a favor and thrown myself off a cliff before I went to you."

_"No."_

Emerald froze at that, as the temperature almost seemed to drop when Weiss went from gently listening to stern and unyielding like an iceberg.

"You are  _not_  useless Emerald, and a good idea has never entered Mercury's brain. Your Semblance malfunctioning isn't an anomaly, there's been recorded instances of this before. You just need treatment, a chance to heal. You went through a traumatic event with Cinder, but you can be better."

"Why?" Emerald's voice rose, an unexpected anger flaring within. "Who the hell cares for some vagrant who helped burn Beacon to the ground and nearly did the same to Haven?! Who the hell cares for me, because they're the minority in a world that wants me to die!"

"I do!" Before Emerald could react, Weiss had grabbed the collar of Emerald's shirt and pulled her in for a kiss. Her mind went blank as she instinctively kissed back, hand coming up to the back of Weiss's head. She felt...  ~~dizzyexcitednauseouselectric~~  warm. Like she had been wearing sopping wet clothes and finally they had been removed for warmer clothes, the chill slipping off her shoulders.

Weiss pulled back a little, forehead still touching Emerald's. " _I_  care," she repeated, voice cracking slightly. "I am sick of seeing people be downtrodden and abused Emerald. World be damned I am  _not_  standing by anymore, I want to help. So please let me."

Emerald shuddered at that, a feeling not-too-dissimilar to what she had felt when she looked at Cinder blooming in her chest. But this wasn't like then, when it felt lonely and empty due to Cinder not reciprocating. The knowledge that that admiration and... fuck it,  _love,_  was reciprocated.

Emerald kissed Weiss this time, a content sigh escaping one of them. They stayed like that for a short time, just looking into each other's eyes and kissing on occasion, before Emerald slowly went back to bed. Her attempts at sleep were shortly interrupted by Weiss slipping in behind her, curling against the thief's chest.

And at least for that night, no further nightmares plagued Emerald.

* * *

**I actually wanna make a full story out of Emerald's defecting from Cinder at Haven and joining RWBY in going to Vacuo where she begins to fall for Weiss, all the while her Semblance begins to malfunction due to Cinder's abuse. Maybe one day.**


End file.
